Exsanguinous
by Thesseli
Summary: Strange, supernatural-style murders are taking place throughout the city, their victims drained of blood. Modern-day AU, with vampires. The sequel to 'Consanguinous'. [Liontrust, M/M]
1. Chapter 1: Corvus

Anduin Lothar had been a detective for the better part of the last decade, and a policeman for nearly twice as long. He was not the sort of person to believe anything without evidence. But with what had been happening in his city lately…well, even he had to admit that something was off.

It had started with the dreams. In and of themselves they would have meant nothing, and he'd put them down to an oddity that had sunk into his subconscious mind. The black bird with the glowing blue eyes he'd associated with Khadgar could be explained away as just that – an oddity, a quirk of his subconscious. The younger man's hair and eyes were very dark; Lothar's brain had probably just connected those features with the image of the raven. The bird had started appearing in his dreams months before Khadgar had.

Maybe it was Khadgar's spirit animal or something. Lothar didn't really believe in that kind of thing, but he could understand the symbolism. The color scheme, the quick intelligence, being way too clever for his own good…oh yes, the young man from forensics definitely had those same qualities.

He never would have given the dreams a second thought, if it weren't for the early-morning discovery of a black, very real feather on his bedroom floor.

Finding that feather had galvanized him. Before then it had just been a series of odd, occasionally sensuous dreams, but now…now he'd been confronted by an invasion of one of their prime elements into his waking world. Between that and his ensuing experiment with the window, Lothar couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on, something close by but unseeable, something he couldn't quite understand.

So when the bodies started turning up – bodies almost completely drained of blood, each with a black raven feather in close proximity – Detective Anduin Lothar immediately volunteered to take the case.


	2. Chapter 2: Occultis

"This is bad, Medivh. This is really bad."

The chief medical examiner leaned against the desk in his office. The younger man wasn't an alarmist, but the multiple murders that had apparently been committed by one (or potentially more) of their own people had definitely set him on edge.

"Still no other evidence from the crime scenes?" asked Medivh. "Apart from the bodies and feathers?"

"Nothing. No fingerprints, no footprints, no murder weapon…" His voice trailed off. "Well, we already knew there would be no sign of a murder weapon, now didn't we."

Medivh nodded ruefully. "I hope I can examine the next body – assuming there will be more – before it goes cold. That way we'll at least know if it's just one of us, or if it's an entire group. None of the current victims were killed recently enough for me to sense an arcane signature at the site of the wound. Without that there's no way to tell if one of us fed, or many."

"We need to figure out who's doing this," Khadgar stated emphatically. "Too many people have already died."

There was something in Khadgar's voice then, something Medivh recognized from his own past. It was fear. The same fear he'd felt when he was young, that day his parents sat him down and explained to him what he was, and what they were. Or rather, what he would be when he was older. Their kind didn't need blood until adulthood, after all. But he still remembered his own fear the first time he saw the changes in their eyes, their teeth, and he'd wondered if all the stories he'd heard about his people were true. Those stories said they were monsters, things that might have looked human most of the time, but really weren't.

Medivh couldn't help but feel sympathy for Khadgar. Aside from losing his parents, he'd only recently come of age in their community, and Medivh knew the first year or two took a lot of getting used to.

"The vast majority of our people would never do something like this," he said, hoping to reassure the younger man. "But in all societies there are disturbed individuals. Evildoers, criminals, and yes, even murderers. That doesn't mean all of us are like whoever is committing these crimes."

"I don't want to think I'm in any way like whoever is doing this," he declared.

Medivh gazed at him kindly. "You're not, Khadgar. The fact that you're even feeling this type of concern proves that you aren't."

"What I can't understand is why they're hurting, much less killing the people they're taking blood from," said Khadgar, throwing his hands up into the air. "They shouldn't want to do that. It goes against instinct. Like you've been telling me for ages, we're meant to bond with the humans we're with. Even if we feed from someone who's not compatible, it just means we need more blood from them, not that we'd want to harm them."

"You're right about that," he agreed. "There's something we're not seeing here…but we will." Then he smiled knowingly at his protégé. "Especially given that one of my oldest and dearest friends is investigating these murders. He's been letting me know if any new information comes in, just as I've been keeping him up to date on all our latest findings."

"Well, I certainly hope not all of them," Khadgar replied wryly. "I know you want me to tell him the truth about myself, but right now might not be the best time for it. I'd prefer my head to stay attached to my body, thank you very much."

Medivh chuckled, glad to be able to find some humor on an otherwise dark day. "I'll give you a reprieve on that. For now."


	3. Chapter 3: Oculus

Lothar hadn't been surprised when another body turned up. The forensics team was already there when he arrived at the crime scene, searching for evidence that – apart from the raven feather that had been placed on the body – didn't seem to exist. Whoever was doing this had obviously done his homework, given how expertly the area had been cleaned up. Where had all the blood gone? The wounds were always in the same place on the neck, identical twin punctures each time, but there was never any spilled blood on or around the body. A more superstitious man might actually think…

"Khadgar!" he called, seeing the familiar face amidst the others.

The younger man looked up, then waved to him. The expression on his face was one of frustration, and maybe a little fear.

Lothar made his way over to him immediately. "You ok, kid?" he asked. The case was clearly getting to him. Khadgar wasn't the type to get frazzled over nothing.

"Yes. Sorry. I was just…" He shook his head. "I was wondering what kind of a person would do something like this, that's all."

Lothar couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. This was the first serial killer the city had seen in years, and the first one since Khadgar had started working in the crime lab.

"I don't know," he replied. "It could be your garden-variety psychopath, or a gang with weird initiation rites. Or maybe it's just some sicko with a vampire fetish." He didn't miss Khadgar's wince at that. "That wouldn't explain the feathers, though. Vampires are associated with bats, not birds, so why feathers?"

Khadgar shrugged. "There's a subspecies of finch on the Galapagos Islands that sometimes feeds on the blood of other animals," he replied. "And there's a Filipino legend of a vampire-type creature that turns into a blood drinking demonic bird at night."

Lothar raised an eyebrow. Khadgar's eclectic collection of facts and trivia never ceased to surprise him. "I've never heard of anything like that before. Where did you learn that?"

The younger man smiled. "I read, Anduin."

"You read boring textbooks about proper forensic techniques, not urban fantasy," he teased. "Unless you're secretly a genre fan."

"You never know," he replied cheekily. Whatever had been bothering him before seemed forgotten now, and Lothar watched as he packed up the last of his equipment. The detective was glad he'd had a hand in getting Khadgar out of his somber mood. Still, he wanted to check with Medivh later on to make sure his young friend was all right. From what he knew, Medivh was the closest thing the kid had to a father now.

He's an adult, not a kid, Lothar corrected himself, his thoughts returning yet again to the dreams that had featured the younger man. But at that moment, his phone rang.

"Hello, Llane," he said, heading out to his car. "Did you get my message from Taria?"

"Yes, I did, and I have to say it's an odd request," he stated. "You're not really starting to believe in the supernatural, are you? You don't honestly think there's a vampire behind these murders?"

Lothar wasn't ready at this point to admit what he believed or didn't believe, not even to himself. "It doesn't matter what I think, Llane, just what the murderer thinks. And whether the killer thinks he's a vampire or if he's just reenacting some kind of disturbed fantasy, we need to get him off the streets." There was a murmur of agreement from Llane at that. "And you know as well as I do that serial killers usually don't commit their first murder without other crimes that lead up to it. That's why we need information on any occult-type crimes committed in this city in the past few years. Even rumors or old anonymous tips might lead us to something."

"All right, Anduin, I'll send anything I find out your way first," Llane replied. "You know, sometimes I think you're taking advantage of the fact that I'm married to your sister."

Lothar laughed. "Oh, I certainly am. And I'm also taking advantage of the fact that you're the mayor, and you have contacts – both legitimate and on the shady side – that I could only dream of."


	4. Chapter 4: Sollicitus

"How did it go today?" Medivh asked, once Khadgar had returned to the station.

"Not very well," he sighed. "I doubt we'll be able to get prints off of anything, and I still couldn't pick up any arcane signature from the wound. Too much time had passed since the victim was killed."

The older man frowned. The latest body had been found fairly soon after the murder had been committed. Khadgar's arcane senses were as strong, possibly stronger than his own, and if even he couldn't get anything… "We're going to have to start tapping other sources of information, then."

Khadgar raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Our own people. They're starting to worry, since these murders have been all over the news. They're worried all of this will attract attention to us…as well as potentially poison our relationships with the humans who know what we are." He knew this was Khadgar's biggest fear, and the reason why he had yet to confess the truth to Anduin. But even Medivh had to agree that now would not be a good time to do so. "I've asked everyone to keep an eye out, and to contact me immediately if they see or hear anything that could help us in tracking down the killer."

Khadgar stared at him incredulously. "I hope you didn't send out a mass email, Medivh. Do you know how easily they can be traced? Recovered even after they're deleted?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, Khadgar, I'm not as computer illiterate as those of your generation might think. I did it the old-fashioned way, by phone tree, with language coded so that no outsiders who might overhear would understand the specifics."

"Oh," he replied, his relief obvious. "And you're also having them look out for things other than the actual victims, right?"

"Of course. 'Drugged drinks', disappearances, the odd wounds that can result when an encounter between one of our people and a human goes south…anything that could point towards the culprit."

"Or culprits," added Khadgar. "There's still no way to tell if it's one person or a group."

"A group may be more likely, considering we could never drain someone dry in a single session…unless the victims were held captive and fed off multiple times before finally being killed."

"Right now I don't know what to believe," Khadgar said. "Most of the bodies have been found in public or semi-public places. Why is the killer doing something that could bring attention and suspicion onto their own people? We've survived so long by hiding what we are; why is he or she deliberately leaving the bodies where they're sure to be found? And with a feather from their flight form, no less?"

Medivh's tone was solemn. "The murderer appears to want everyone to know who's doing this."

Khadgar gazed back at him. "Maybe not 'everyone'," he said. "Maybe just us."

"Just us?" he repeated.

"Something Anduin said to me earlier," Khadgar replied slowly. "To humans, raven feathers aren't associated with our people, not in the myths or the movies. To leave them with the bodies…" He swallowed hard. "That's not a message for the humans. It's a message for us."


	5. Chapter 5: Adicias

Days later, Khadgar was still mulling over the implications of his talk with Medivh.

A message for us, that's what it had to be. Medivh had agreed, and sent word to the others in their community, asking once more to be contacted immediately if any new information was learned. So far there was nothing, and Khadgar had been trying his best not to let his worrisome thoughts consume him. At work he had to concentrate on his job – there were other ongoing investigations that required lab tests and evidence gathering – but back home there were fewer distractions, and his mind had gone back to the case. Again.

"I only wish I could talk about this with you," Khadgar said softly, during his visit with Anduin that night. "I wish I could tell you everything, and get your input. You're a detective, you could help me figure things out. I mean, it's not that Medivh isn't smart, he's a doctor and all, but his specialty is examining victims and working out exactly what happened to them. But you…you're trained to understand motives and intent. You could tell me why all of this is happening."

Fully tranced, Lothar didn't reply. Khadgar rested his head on the other man's chest, listening to his steady, strong heartbeat. It calmed him. "Mmm," he murmured, his eyes glowing blue. "I really need this tonight. I need you, Anduin." He shifted up so he could nuzzle Lothar's neck, and then bit down.

Khadgar couldn't contain his sigh of contentment as he fed. This was just so…perfect. Anduin was perfect. All he wanted was to stay with him, for this entire night and then every other night afterward. He felt his arousal begin to build, signaling the end of the feeding, and with one last lick to Lothar's neck he healed the wounds, fully sated now.

"That was so good. Like it always is." He smiled, glancing down at Lothar's erection. "I'll make this good for you too, I promise." He grasped it, pumping it a few times before licking the head. But before he could get any further, his phone rang.

Khadgar groaned. "Medivh, how do you always manage to pick the absolute worst times to call me?"

"I take it you're visiting Anduin right now?" he replied mischievously.

"Yes, Medivh, I'm visiting Anduin right now," Khadgar repeated, rolling his eyes.

"Good, I need you in top form and at full strength. Another body's been found, by one of our own people this time, and we need to get there before the police are called in."

Khadgar sat up, his eyes wide. "There's been another murder? Where? Where should I go?"

"You know those old warehouses near the harbor? There. The address is 1212 South Vauxton Avenue. We need to hurry."

"1212 South Vauxton Avenue, by the harbor, I've got it," he replied, pulling on his shoes as he spoke.

"Get there as fast as you can, and without being seen…so no car. Fly straight there. I'll meet you on the roof."

"I'll be right there," Khadgar assured him, then shoved his phone back into his pocket. He looked at Lothar's erect cock regretfully. "I'm sorry to leave you hanging like this, Anduin, but I have to go. I'll make it up to you tomorrow night, I promise you." After pressing a quick kiss to the other man's lips, Khadgar opened the window. "I'll see you in the morning."

Then, in a flurry of feathers, Khadgar was gone.


	6. Chapter 6: Insidias

Khadgar arrived at the warehouse soon afterwards, winded from having flown so far so quickly. He would be grateful for the chance to rest, if even for a moment, but he knew there was no time to spare. He circled above the roof; and, seeing Medivh peering upwards, he pulled in closer so he could land gracefully at the other man's side. Medivh appeared out of breath as well. It had been a long but very fast flight for both of them.

"I already checked, there's no-one else up here but us," said Medivh, in response to Khadgar's unasked question. "The body's down on the warehouse floor, right in the center. One of our kids was scouting the area, looking for a place to hold an illicit party or rave or something when he found it. He's too young to have turned yet, so unfortunately he couldn't sense anything from the body himself."

Khadgar returned to his normal form and sighed. "That would have made our lives too easy."

"Come on, follow me. It's still early enough to get a decent reading." The ME continued talking as he led Khadgar to the edge of the roof. "There's a broken window about twenty feet down with a hole big enough for us to fit through. Mind your wings, though." He shifted to his raven form and launched himself into the air, Khadgar close behind him.

True to what Medivh had described, one of the upper windows had been partially shattered, leaving an opening they could fly through. Probably. It would be close, and Khadgar understood Medivh's warning - if his wings were fully spread they would likely be sliced by the glass that remained. But Medivh had always been daring, plus it was the easiest way inside, so he steeled himself and followed his mentor through. If Khadgar squeezed his eyes shut just before doing so, he was sure it was purely coincidence.

Once inside, it didn't take long for Khadgar's sharp eyes to spot the body. Not that it had been hidden. It was at the center of the main storage area, almost artfully arranged, with a long black feather on the unfortunate man's chest.

Medivh knelt down after they landed, careful not to disturb anything. They both knew the police would need to conduct their own investigation and the area had to be left just as it was when they found it. The kid who'd stumbled across the body could phone the cops once they were done at the scene.

"He's still warm," Medivh announced, resting the back of his hand on the victim's exposed skin. He leaned in closer, and then frowned. "Khadgar…come here, I need you to check this too." Khadgar crouched down beside him. "What are you getting?"

The younger man reached out with not quite human senses, his eyes flaring in the dim light. "I'm not getting anything." He leaned in closer. "Still nothing." He looked up at Medivh. "This man's death was very recent, there should still be an arcane signature at the site of the wound. Unless…"

Medivh nodded gravely. "Unless he wasn't killed by one of us after all."

A cold chill passed through Khadgar as he realized exactly what this meant. "The murderer's a human who knows what we are. Who knows about our flight form."

Medivh stood, pulling Khadgar to his feet as well. "Something's not right about this. We need to get out of here."

Before they could move more than a few steps, however, they were confronted by a tall figure blocking their path. The semiautomatic weapon he held was pointed directly at Khadgar and Medivh. "Oh no, you two won't be going anywhere."


	7. Chapter 7: Indico

"Well now," the man drawled. "I've known for a while your precinct had a monster hiding in it, but I never thought I'd bag two of you. This must be my lucky day."

Khadgar was frozen, but Medivh took an angry step forward. "Sergeant Alston?" he asked, looking between him and the body on the floor. "You're behind this…string of homicides?"

He shrugged. "It was nothing personal, believe me. All for the greater good. Gotta get you things off the streets, and if it means some junkies and hookers have to go down too, it's no big loss. Every war has collateral damage."

Khadgar shuddered. A message to us, he'd told Medivh days ago. That's what it had been the entire time. This man had been murdering innocent people to use as bait.

Medivh was still staring at Alston in disbelief. "You've been killing all these people…why? Just to draw us out?"

"Yes," he stated, his narrowed eyes shifting between Medivh and Khadgar. "Ever since I found out about you bloodsuckers, I've dedicated myself to wiping out every vampire I could. And being a cop made it much, much easier. As a matter of fact, it's why I joined the force in the first place." He smirked. "Too bad I'm not at your precinct, I would have found you out a long time ago."

"You hate us that much?" Khadgar asked, finally finding his voice. He'd never suspected the killer was a police officer, and he was shocked that Medivh had obviously met him before. "Why?"

"You monsters are walking among us, using us, violating us without our consent…" He looked more closely at Khadgar, and his gun came up to aim at the young man's heart. "You've fed recently. In the past few hours, in fact."

Khadgar fought to not show how utterly terrified he was. "How did you know that?"

"The only way possible," Medivh replied coldly. "He must have attuned with one of us at some time in the past. Tasted their blood. He couldn't have known you'd just fed if he hadn't."

"Yeah. It's made hunting you a lot easier, but as you probably know, the range is extremely limited." Medivh took another step forward, and the gun swiveled towards him. "You know what else has a limited range? That mindfuckery you things do. You try to get close enough to touch me and you're dead."

Medivh moved back towards Khadgar. "Who did you attune with, Alston?" he asked. "Who were you close enough to? Who trusted you enough to share this gift with you?"

His gaze hardened. "My wife. My _late_ wife." He smiled grimly. "Once I figured out what she was doing to me."

"You killed your own wife?" Khadgar whispered, horrified. "Because she was one of us?"

"Yes. And since then, I've made it my mission in life to wipe out every goddamn vampire I can find," he declared. "At first it was just random…the attunement meant I could pick up on any vamp I was close enough to." He shook his head in mock regret. "So many suspects 'resisting arrest' and 'going for their guns'. But after a while, just bumping into one of you on the street and taking you down wasn't enough anymore. I figured it was time to go hunting. And what better way to hunt than to use bait you couldn't resist?" He regarded Medivh disdainfully. "So what are you, the leader of the city's monsters? I'll bet you are. You're right in the heart of everything, at the central precinct." His tone turned thoughtful. "Someone else found my latest piece of performance art and told you where it was, right? That's how you got here so fast, without any cops." He grinned. "I bet you know every vampire in the city. Maybe you even have a list of them somewhere. That would make my job so much easier."

"What makes you think I would ever help you kill my own kind?" Medivh sputtered.

"Oh, I know you'll cooperate." Alston glanced at Khadgar. "I only need you, Medivh, so play nice. You don't want anything to happen to your friend here, do you? Because one wrong move and I blow the fledgling's head off."

"Sgt. Alston," came a familiar and commanding voice, as Anduin Lothar stepped out of the shadows with his own weapon drawn. "You are under arrest for the murder of your wife, Carol Alston, as well as for the multiple murders you've committed between that time and now."


	8. Chapter 8: Conflictus

"Detective Lothar," his fellow officer said casually. "So good of you to join us."

"Put the gun down, sergeant. Nice and slow," Lothar ordered.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked. "I'm saving the world, from one monster at a time. Or in this case, two."

Medivh turned his gaze from the gunman to his oldest friend. "How much did you hear, Anduin?" he asked softly.

"Plenty," he replied, skepticism practically dripping from his voice. "And let me tell you just how crazy it all sounded."

"Yeah, but…you know as well as I do it's not crazy, don't you, detective?" Alston asked, still making no move to lower his weapon. "You started noticing things were a little off a while ago, I'm guessing."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he stated emphatically. But Medivh knew his friend well enough to tell that Alston's words had struck a nerve. His mind raced. Anduin suspected? How could he? Both Khadgar and himself had always been so careful around humans, even those closest to them, even while wanting nothing more than to tell them the truth…

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about," Alston proclaimed. "And I think you're trying to convince yourself that everything that's been happening to you wasn't real, but now that you're finally getting proof it was, you're scared." He shifted his position so he was standing closer to Lothar, but still had his gun trained on his captives. "And you're damn right to be scared, detective. But it's not me you should be afraid of. It's them."

"Because they're vampires?" he replied dubiously. "I grew up with Medivh. I've seen him eat and drink and he's obviously been out in the daylight. Same thing with Khadgar."

"Hollywood came up with most of that stuff, but vampires definitely exist. They can do a bunch of things humans can't, like put their victims into a trance so they don't know they're being fed on. It's like sleepwalking." He shrugged. "And sure, they can eat regular food, but they need blood to live. If they go without it too long, they start to go a little crazy, and that's when they really get dangerous."

Lothar remained unconvinced. "Why the hell should I believe this…insanity, and with absolutely no evidence at that?" he snorted. "Especially when I've already heard you confess to killing your own wife, plus a good number of other people afterwards? How can you expect me to believe all this supernatural bullshit?"

"Because when I met you a few months ago at that seminar at the central precinct, I could tell you'd been fed on. Multiple times," Alston explained. "It's how I figured out there had to be a vampire close to you, but I wasn't there long enough to search for one." He moved slightly closer to Lothar. "You were fed on within the past few hours," he stated. "And it wasn't by the good doctor here. My attunement to these parasites tells me he hasn't tasted blood that recently." He turned his eyes to Khadgar. "But he has."

Medivh watched the color drain from Khadgar's face, and he wished he could do something – anything – to protect the younger man. He cursed himself. If only he'd come here alone tonight, his friend would be safe at home and not in the clutches of a murderer, with his secret about to be revealed to the man he'd quite clearly fallen in love with.

"This thing has been feeding off you. Violating you," Alston spat. "And wiping your memory of each and every encounter you've had."

Lothar's jaw set, and he looked between the other officer and Khadgar. "I don't believe you."

"Tell me, detective, how did you know to come here tonight?" he challenged. "There's been no 911 call yet. You came off duty, in the middle of the night, with no partner and no backup. Hardly standard procedure. How did you know?"

"I just…had a hunch," he said, his brow creasing. "I woke up with an address in my head, almost like someone had put the words there."

"And what were those words?"

Lothar stared at Khadgar in sudden realization, and Medivh closed his eyes, already knowing what his friend was going to say.

"1212 South Vauxton Avenue," the detective said slowly, repeating Khadgar's response exactly as he'd spoken it to Medivh. "By the harbor."


	9. Chapter 9: Arcanus

Lothar was still staring at Khadgar. "You…you said that. You were on the phone. How did you…"

"I told you they can make you sleepwalk or forget things if they're close to you physically," said Alston. "I did say he fed on you tonight."

"You were in my apartment earlier," he said in shocked recognition. "My bedroom." He turned to Alston. "He made me forget? Then how I can be remembering this?"

Alston nodded. "Normally you can't remember anything from while you were tranced, but sometimes things still leak through. Especially if you and the vampire are what they call 'compatible'." He said the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I'm not sure how that part works, but they preferentially feed on humans that are a good match for what they need. And since you've been taken multiple times, you must be a pretty good match for this one. No wonder you can still remember some of what happened, even though it might feel like a dream."

Lothar's wary eyes were still on Khadgar, who was gazing back at him almost pleadingly, looking younger and more vulnerable than Lothar had ever seen him. Still, he couldn't help but reach up to his neck.

"You won't find any bite wounds, they heal them afterwards," Alston explained. "So you won't know you were fed on, and so they can keep coming back for more."

"You said the memories can feel like dreams," Lothar said slowly. "For months I've been having weird dreams, with a black bird – a raven. Its eyes would glow blue sometimes, and its feathers looked just like that," he said, indicating the one on Alston's latest victim. "And then just recently…" His voice trailed off.

"Go on."

Lothar's eyes focused on Khadgar. "Dreams about him." He wasn't going to go into the details of those dreams, they were too personal. Private. Had they all been real as well? "At first I thought they were nothing, until…"

"Until?"

"Until the morning I found a black feather on my bedroom floor."

Khadgar flinched and looked away. "Stupid of him," muttered Alston dismissively. "But then, the younger ones sometimes make mistakes. Makes them easier to hunt."

"I left my bedroom window cracked open the night after that," Lothar said. "I thought I'd find it the same way the next morning, and it would prove I was letting my imagination run away with me."

"Let me guess – it was completely shut the next morning."

"Yes." He shook his head. "I was getting ready to buy a webcam or some type of hidden camera next." He swallowed hard. "What would I have seen?"

"A raven, at first, and then him. They like coming and going through windows – that's how these two got in here tonight. I was watching the door, the only one who came through it was some teenager who took off running when he saw the bait." His tone was smug. "I guess that was who tipped off Medivh. I'll have to check the good doctor's phone for his number so I can take care of him next."

Medivh's jaw dropped. "He's just a kid, for God's sake…how can you even consider murdering a child?" he demanded. "He's too young to have even turned yet!"

"Well then, it's a good thing he'll be dead before he ever does," Alston replied simply. "He's just going to grow up to be another monster, might as well take him out before that can happen."

"Even with all this," Lothar interrupted, wishing he could will away the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, "I still haven't seen any actual proof that what you've told me is true. You're asking me to believe something incredible, sergeant. I need hard evidence before I can do that."

"And here it is, the final attempt to resist acknowledging what you already know is true," sighed Alston. "I went through that phase myself. It's completely normal. I mean, who wants to admit they were used? Violated against their will?"

"That's not—" Medivh began, but he was cut off.

"You said you wanted proof?" asked Alston, and waved his gun at Khadgar. "Show him. Show him what you really are. And I don't mean the raven – show him what you look like when you feed off him."

Khadgar closed his eyes in defeat. "I'm so sorry, Anduin."

Alston raised his gun threateningly. "Open your eyes, leech, he needs to see them."

"Wait," said Medivh hastily, putting a hand on Khadgar's shoulder. "Let me show him. I'm the one who's been keeping this secret from him the longest. He deserves to see it from me."

Alston nodded. "Go ahead."

Medivh took a small step forward. "I'm still the same person I've always been, Anduin," he said softly. "You are one of my oldest and dearest friends, and I would never hurt you. And neither would Khadgar." Then Medivh's features shifted, changing to reveal the same glowing blue eyes from his dreams.

And Lothar was finally forced to accept that everything Alston had told him was true.


	10. Chapter 10: Veritas

Lothar couldn't tear his eyes away. "See? I told you they were monsters," Alston scoffed. "Parasites on humanity."

"We are not monsters," insisted Medivh. "We need blood to live, yes, but that doesn't mean we're monsters." He turned to face Lothar, letting his features return to normal. "When these bodies started turning up, apparently killed by one or more of my own people, I couldn't believe it. Because the murderer was doing the exact opposite of what one of us would normally do. First of all, it goes against our instincts to harm any human we've taken blood from, plus leaving feathers behind would have immediately drawn suspicion onto us from any humans who knew what we were. And most importantly, there's the blatant fact that it's physically impossible for one of us to drain someone completely when we feed. It would be like you eating an entire side of beef in one sitting. That's why I was almost certain more than one person was behind this – and why I've been trying to examine the victims as soon as they're found, because it would give me a better chance of picking up on who might have killed them."

"How so?" asked Lothar, when he'd finally found his voice again.

"My people can sense if any of our abilities were used on a human, provided too much time hasn't gone by. There's a sort of residual signature left in the tissue, both when we feed and when we heal someone afterwards. But as I said, there's no way for us to drain someone's blood all at once. Since each body only ever had two puncture wounds on the neck, I assumed there were either multiple perpetrators, or one of us had fed from each victim over an extended period. In both cases, all the wounds other than the final one would have been healed," he explained. "So when the young man who found the latest victim contacted me, I called Khadgar, hoping one or both of us could make it to the crime scene in time to get a reading. But when we got here, there was no arcane signature on the victim at all. Even though his death was very, very recent." His expression was a mixture of anger and regret. "But it was a trap all along, to lure myself and Khadgar out so this murderer could claim two more victims…ones who wouldn't be just 'collateral damage'." His voice was cold. "Tell me, sergeant, how does it feel to consider your own people expendable? Disposable? Because that's what they are to you now. You lost the last shred of your humanity when you started killing them."

"Shut up, monster—"

"We are not the monsters here," Medivh pronounced.

"You make it impossible for any human to resist what you're doing, and you take from us without our consent. How is that not monstrous?" demanded Alston. "How is that in any way different from rape?"

"It's very different," he shot back. "This isn't about power – we're not doing this to hurt anyone, or to dominate them. The simple fact is, if we don't take human blood, we die. And I can state quite confidently that my people prefer to draw from someone we're close to, someone we care about, but we still need blood even if we don't have someone like that. So many of us are forced to acquire it from strangers or casual acquaintances…but either way, we're not doing it to deliberately cause harm. But because most humans wouldn't accept us, we make it so they can't remember." The angry edge was back in his voice. "My people have hidden themselves out of necessity. For those of us not lucky enough to find someone who accepts us for what we are, we'd be putting our lives in danger every time we had to feed. It's not that we want to mislead or take what isn't freely offered, but many of my people have died because they told the wrong person the truth. Because they tried to 'do the right thing'." Medivh's eyes narrowed. "People like your wife."

"You have no idea how fine a line you're walking, Medivh," Alston growled, raising his gun so it was pointed at the other man's head. But before he could say more, the sound of footsteps came echoing through the mostly empty warehouse; and Lothar quickly moved away from Alston to stand with Medivh and Khadgar, his own weapon aimed once more at the other officer.

"Sgt. Daniel Alston," he said. "I say again: you are under arrest for the murder of your wife, as well as for the string of murders you've committed since the time of her death. Anything you say can and will be used against you—"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled indignantly.

"That backup you didn't think I came with?" Lothar said. "I called them in as soon as I saw you holding a gun on two of my friends. And afterwards I came out and showed myself, so I could keep you talking until they got here." His eyes were like ice, cold and hard. "I told them we had a hostage situation involving two of our own people, held by a serial killer who just so happened to be a rogue cop."

"Two of your own people? Those things aren't people, Lothar." His face was red with anger. "And to think I was actually going to thank you for making all this possible." He gestured at both the body and the two men he'd been threatening. "Because it was meeting you, and realizing you were being fed on, that made me finally decide to hunt these things actively. This was all because of you, detective – how can you do this to me, knowing what you know now? Knowing what these two are?" he demanded. "How can you side with these monsters?"

Lothar shook his head. "There's only one monster here, sergeant," he declared. "And it's not Medivh or Khadgar."

"And you're actually ok with letting yourself be used by these things?" demanded Alston. "You're pathetic. A traitor to the human race." His gun swiveled towards Lothar. "Which means you probably deserve this even more than they do—"

"No!" Khadgar cried, diving at Lothar in a desperate attempt to push him out of the way. And he was successful, moving the older man out of the projectiles' path…so that instead of hitting Lothar, the bullets hit Khadgar instead.


	11. Chapter 11: Defluxus

Khadgar hit the floor with a sickening thud. This was quickly followed by the sound of another gunshot, and then Alston crumpling to the ground, dead by the single bullet one of the police snipers had put in him.

"Khadgar? Khadgar!" Lothar exclaimed, crawling back from where he'd been knocked to the ground to the younger man's side in an instant. Khadgar wasn't moving, and blood was already soaking through his clothing. Dimly in the background he heard one of the other cops reporting in, saying the suspect was down and calling for an ambulance. "Medivh—" he pleaded desperately. Nothing Alston had told him mattered in this moment. This was Khadgar, one of his dearest friends, and right now Lothar didn't care if he was human or something else. That wasn't important. He just wanted Khadgar to live.

"I know," Medivh replied, his brow creasing as he knelt down next to Lothar. He tore Khadgar's shirt open, then wadded up some of the fabric and pressed it against the wounds. "We need to get the bleeding under control. Anduin, keep your hand right here. Firm pressure, but gentle."

Lothar nodded, holding the makeshift bandage in place while Medivh checked the younger man's vitals. He knew enough about first aid to tell Khadgar wasn't doing well – assuming things were the same for his people as they were for a human. What else was different about their physiology, and would this put Khadgar in more danger? "Medivh, will he be ok going to a regular hospital?" he asked, lowering his voice. "Will they be able to tell he isn't human?"

"Nobody can tell unless we shift," Medivh assured him, his voice equally soft.

"Good," Lothar replied, nodding tersely as the other two officers rushed over, the man checking to make sure their target was dead.

"Thank goodness you got here so fast," said Medivh, rising to his feet and stepping closer to the pair. He rested a hand on each of their forearms; then his appearance shifted and they went rigid, unseeing.

"Lothar, Khadgar, and myself were on our way home from a party at a friend's house, when we noticed what seemed to be someone sneaking into this warehouse," the ME stated. Lothar cocked his head; there was a strange resonance to Medivh's voice that sounded vaguely familiar, although he was certain he'd never heard it from Medivh. "Khadgar and I had both had a bit too much to drink, as it were, and at the time we thought it was a good idea to follow the person inside. Lothar tried to talk us out of it, but we didn't listen to him. And we managed to stumble onto the scene of the latest murder. Lothar was behind us, but he saw what was happening and called for backup. Then he came in, and kept Sgt. Alston from making Khadgar and I his latest victims." He smiled toothily at Lothar before turning his attention back to the other two officers. "Be sure to put all that in your incident report, when you get back to the precinct." His eyes and teeth returned to normal after that, as did his voice. "Again, thank you for responding so quickly," he said earnestly, shaking both their hands. "You may have just saved Khadgar's life."

"Thanks," said the woman, who clearly remembered nothing of what Medivh had just said. "But next time, doc, don't go wandering into potentially hazardous situations, no matter how drunk you are. You might not have someone like Lothar ready to pull you out again."

"Oh, I've learned my lesson," Medivh replied contritely, as the two cops went to wait outside for the ambulance. Lothar recognized his tone of voice from when they were young – from any time Medivh's parents caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to, something he was just going to do again in the future. It was familiar and comforting at the same time. No matter what his friend was, he was still Medivh…still the mischievous, brilliant smartass he'd known since he was a child. Vampire or no, he was still the same person Lothar had known for years.

"How did you do that?" whispered Lothar, still applying pressure to Khadgar's ribs. He was pleased that the blood flow was slowing down, although it hadn't quite stopped yet. But there were sirens in the distance now, coming closer, and the detective finally felt the relief wash over him. Khadgar – his Khadgar – was going to be all right.

Medivh shrugged. "Sgt. Alston explained how we can trance people when we touch them. We can also give them suggestions…and no, we can't make someone jump off a building or do anything against their survival instincts. I just felt this story would be a bit more believable than a story about two vampires being held hostage, or your 'hunch' about where the serial killer's next victim would turn up." He raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, can you remember if Khadgar was in actual physical contact with you when I was on the phone with him, and he repeated the address back to me?"

"I really don't remember that part," Lothar confessed.

"Hmm…interesting. Either way, it just goes to show how compatible you two are." Medivh smiled at Lothar again, minus the fangs, as they both turned towards the paramedics who'd just now arrived on the scene. "I know how overwhelming all this must be for you, and I'm sure you have a ton of questions. Once we're somewhere we can talk in private, I'll be happy to answer all of them."


	12. Chapter 12: Cupitor

Once Khadgar was in surgery (with a private room secured for him for afterwards, courtesy of Medivh's connections with the hospital), Lothar was finally able to sit down with his friend, to hopefully get the explanations he'd been seeking for months.

"So where do you want to start?" Medivh asked, over their cups of reheated cafeteria coffee.

Lothar shrugged and rolled his eyes, well aware of how much he resembled his son when he did so. His first question should have been obvious. "So…vampires actually exist?"

Medivh chuckled, knowing that Lothar would need absolute confirmation of this. "Yes, we exist. You saw for yourself before."

"Can you show me again? Because I think I was mostly in shock at that point."

The other man nodded, his features shifting back to how they'd been at the warehouse – glowing blue eyes, and long pointed canine teeth. "When we use most of our arcane abilities, we look like this. Even in raven form, if we're doing something a normal bird can't, our eyes will glow."

Lothar found the sight familiar, not just from earlier that evening but from his dreams as well. "Your people can really turn into birds?" he asked. Of all the things he'd learned, that seemed the most fantastic. "How does that work, exactly?"

"I'm really not sure," confessed Medivh. "Some of my people just call it magic, although there's probably a complicated quantum-physics-type explanation for it."

"What do you call it?"

Medivh winked. "Magic."

Lothar smiled. "Fair enough. Can you show me that too?"

"Of course. I love the form, to be honest." He put down his coffee and stood. A second later, a black bird had appeared in his place, and then hopped back up onto his chair.

"That is…amazing," breathed Lothar.

Medivh preened – literally – and then shifted back. "It's quite useful, and a lot of fun to boot. Flying, that is. Khadgar was so nervous about it at first, but once he'd come of age and actually tried it, he loved it."

"When you say that one of your people has come of age, that's when they actually start to need blood, right? You said the kid who found Alston's latest victim hadn't turned yet, but he was still one of your people."

"Correct. It generally happens when we're in our early 20's, but we can tell if one of our children has the genes for it when they're still young. And it is passed as a heritable trait. Both my parents had the condition, but only Khadgar's father did."

Lothar thought again about how the younger man had lost his parents. "Did Khadgar's mother know?"

"Oh yes, his father was quite forthcoming about it. The two were very compatible; she was attuned with him even before Khadgar was born."

"That's what Alston was with his wife," Lothar replied, frowning slightly. "And he still killed her."

"Sadly, yes. And it's all the more tragic because when one of my people not only reveals their true nature to a human, but attunes with that person as well, we are literally entrusting our lives to you. Because now the human doesn't just know what we are – they can also sense us. When we're near, if we've fed recently, and all kinds of other things besides. What happened to Carol Alston? This is the nightmare scenario all my people fear. Trusting someone enough to show our true selves to them, and dying because of it."

"No wonder your people have been so careful," said Lothar sadly. "I can only imagine what you and Khadgar thought when Alston's victims started turning up. You must have been desperate to track down who was responsible. They would have been a threat to your entire community."

Medivh nodded. "Exactly," he replied. "I'm beyond relieved that Alston is out of the picture. The team who went to his house tonight found what they called a chamber of horrors in his basement. Weapons, drugs, medical devices…equipment to drain the victims' blood..."

Lothar gazed into his friend's eyes, guilt pooling within him. "When I think it was my chance meeting with Alston that encouraged him to start murdering both your people and mine—"

"Anduin. It's not your fault. How could you have ever known, either that Khadgar was taking blood from you or that Alston would be able to sense it? Or that Alston would go on a killing spree afterwards?" he asked. "Please, you mustn't blame yourself."

Lothar nodded slowly. He knew Medivh was right, but it still didn't make him feel any better. But it brought up yet another question. "So…out of everyone Khadgar's ever met, since he 'came of age'…why me?" he asked. "Why my blood, out of anyone and everyone else's?"

Medivh regarded him silently, then pulled out a small flask from his pocket. He added some of the whiskey to both their cups. At Lothar's curious expression, he spoke again. "You'll probably want something a little stronger than coffee in you for this part," he said. "Because this is where it starts to get weird."


	13. Chapter 13: Expedio

Lothar arched an eyebrow. "'Starts?' he repeated dubiously. "Medivh, we moved way beyond weird a long time ago."

The ME chuckled. "True enough. But now we have to talk about compatibility, and what exactly that means, because it's very important and you need to know everything before Khadgar wakes up once they bring him back from surgery."

"I would like to know," Lothar replied dutifully. "I have some idea of what it means, but I'm guessing there's more."

"A bit more, yes," said Medivh. "At its most basic level, it has to do with how much blood we need from any given human being. The amount we take varies based on our compatibility with our human partner. It's related to genetics and personality and a bunch of other factors. Friendship increases compatibility, but compatibility will also deepen any bonds between a vampire and a human, whether those bonds are between friends or lovers." He took a sip of his drink. "Have you ever met someone you liked from the moment you met them? Compatibility's like that, but on a deeper level."

Lothar nodded, he could certainly understood that. "You said Khadgar and I were very compatible. Even Alston brought it up."

"Yes. Once Khadgar came of age and developed his own arcane signature, I could tell how close a match you both would be. I knew it before he did, in fact, and before you two ever actually met in person," Medivh replied, sounding rather proud of himself. "And you being able to repeat that address back word for word? That proves it. You and he are a near-perfect match, for you to be able to sense him so closely. Especially while you were tranced."

"A match for…feeding." Lothar regarded Medivh for a few moments. "That's what started the dreams, isn't it," he said quietly. "Khadgar's been visiting me each night, taking my blood, but not letting me be aware of it. I'm right, aren't I?"

The other man just nodded. "It's why you've retained some awareness of your encounters, and why you've been dreaming about him. You were remembering."

Some of the things that had happened in those dreams… "But if we're such a good match, why didn't he just tell me?" Lothar asked.

"Oh, I wanted him to. In fact, I've been encouraging him to tell you for months. But he was afraid." Medivh paused. "When I was growing up, I had no idea what I was. My parents didn't tell me until they felt I was old enough to understand. But Khadgar grew up knowing what he would eventually become. And his parents impressed upon him the dangers of telling the wrong person. He grew up afraid, both of what he was going to be and what might happen to him because of it." He sighed. "Despite legends to the contrary, my people aren't actually very powerful…which makes us potentially very vulnerable, especially when we feed. We don't have super-strength, super speed, or higher intelligence than humans do. What we do have is the power of suggestion and a few other mind tricks, but we're mostly no different from you. That's why Khadgar was scared, Anduin. Because Alston was far from the only hunter in this world. There are many others out there, humans who want to kill my kind."

"What?! Why?" The thought that there were other people who would kill Khadgar and Medivh simply for being what they were both alarmed and angered him.

"Why does any group want to wipe out another?" Medivh replied bitterly. "Fear, ignorance, a lack of understanding. A sense that the Other is different and therefore dangerous."

The implied accusation shocked Lothar. "You can't possibly think I could ever do something like that, especially not to Khadgar," he insisted.

Medivh's tone softened at that. "I know you wouldn't, Anduin. But Khadgar is very young, and he's heard stories of how humans have hunted us his entire life. He cares about you, and he doesn't want to lose your friendship. You have no idea how strong a bond can be formed when one of my people and one of yours are compatible. He was terrified you would be afraid of him."

Lothar gazed evenly at Medivh. "From what you've told me, I have no reason to be."

"Of course you don't. He would never hurt you, you know. And you also have no reason to be afraid of me – we've been friends for years now, and frankly, the thought of any harm coming to you makes me ill. Even though we're not compatible at all…but believe me, if we were, I would have come to you with the truth years ago." He smiled slyly. "And for people who are as close a match as you and Khadgar, strong friendships usually result. That's why I'd been hoping he would tell you the truth about himself on his own, but as it was, fate forced my hand. So I showed you instead, so he wouldn't have to. I wanted to spare him that," he said. "But I knew you wouldn't turn him – or me – away, once you knew the truth."

Lothar swallowed hard, thinking about how he'd been drawn to Khadgar from the day they'd met. "Compatibility…it's not just for feeding and friendship though, am I right?"

"Feeding, friendship…along with a few other things. And that's the other reason Khadgar was afraid to tell you the truth. He didn't know if you could accept it." Medivh added a bit more whiskey to each of their cups. "This next part may not be easy for you to hear."

Lothar took a deep drink, steadying himself for whatever might come next. He'd had a feeling this 'compatibility' involved more than simply being a good blood match for what Khadgar needed. And now that he knew it was true, he had a fair idea of what Medivh was about to say…but until the words were actually spoken out loud, a part of himself could still safely pretend that everything was still normal. Even with two vampires as friends, even with one of them secretly taking his blood on a near nightly basis.

Even with that same friend leaping into the path of a loaded gun, taking the bullets that had been meant to end his life.

Lothar's jaw set. Whatever Medivh was about to say, it couldn't hurt him nearly as much as the thought of what he'd almost lost tonight. "If any other parts of my dreams were real, then I need to know," he said. "For both my sake, and Khadgar's."

Medivh nodded. "When my people feed," he began slowly, carefully, "it is more, much more, than just drawing sustenance. There is a sexual component as well. For my people, as well as yours."

This time Lothar took the flask and poured. It was exactly as he'd suspected. He took another drink. "Go on."

"The sexual component is a biological reaction, not a conscious one; and isn't based on gender or appearance or prior sexual attraction or literally anything else. It has nothing to do with either person's sexuality or masculinity or anything like that. It's neutral; it's like waking up with an erection. There's no way to prevent it…but it is not necessarily acted upon. And that's what I need you to understand," Medivh stated emphatically. "Alston implied that our feeding is a violation – not just because the blood might be taken without permission, but because of the sexual response it induces. But we're not rapists, Anduin. My people pride ourselves on not being anything like the way we're portrayed in movies or on TV, and on never hurting any human that we're with. It's why, when we take blood from someone who doesn't know what we are, we generally just trance them first and then let them sleep off the sexual urge after we've finished…unless, of course, the vampire and human are already in a romantic relationship." Medivh drained half his cup then. "Since they were married, I'm guessing Alston's wife made him forget the blooddrinking part but not the sex, but enough of it probably leaked through so he knew something else was going on. That's probably why she decided to attune him…attunement enhances the intimacy of both the feeding and what comes afterwards. And he killed her for it." There was pain in his voice at that. "I don't want you to think we see humans as nothing but food, Anduin. Our bonds with you are too deep for that to ever be the case. You're our friends, our partners, our lovers…our survival, and everything that makes our lives worth living."

Lothar looked down at his hands, clasped around his coffee cup and trembling slightly. Suddenly everything made sense. "God help me, Medivh – I never so much as looked at another man until I met Khadgar. Is he making me feel this way?"

Medivh shook his head. "No. That's not an ability we have; we can't influence someone else's emotions. But when a vampire and a human are as closely matched as you are, developing feelings for each other that are stronger than just friendship is very common. Even if he'd never fed on you." He smiled at Lothar fondly. "The bond between one of my people and one of yours is meant to be one of love. And it's why Khadgar was so afraid of telling you the truth, Anduin. He was terrified he might lose you if he did."

Lothar frowned. "Even so, I still don't understand why he didn't just tell me. Even if I hadn't been ready to hear it, he could have just made me forget."

"Yes, Anduin, he could have made you forget," Medivh explained gently. "But he couldn't have done the same for himself."

Lothar just stared at him then. It was a few moments before he trusted himself to speak again.

"I want to be here with him. When he wakes up," Lothar declared.

"We will both be here for him," Medivh said softly. "I promise you that."


	14. Chapter 14: Fortis

The first thing that made its way into Khadgar's awareness was the dull ache in his side. It hovered at the edge of his consciousness for some time, but was pushed away, instantly and completely, when his memory of the night's events came flooding back to him. Flailing, he tried to sit up, but found himself restrained by two firm hands on his shoulders.

"You stay right where you are, Khadgar, you're in no shape to get up yet," said Medivh fondly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." He looked around in concern. "Anduin? Is he ok? Where—"

"I'm right here," the other man replied, coming into view. He was smiling down at Khadgar as he pulled up a chair to his bedside. He looked totally relaxed and at ease. "And like Medivh said, don't try to sit up yet. The painkillers can only do so much."

His brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"Apart from you saving my life, and Alston being shot dead by the cops immediately afterwards? Not much."

"You got out of surgery a few hours ago," Medivh explained. "You're going to be just fine, Khadgar…but no raven form until after the stitches come out. I know how you love to fly, but you need time to heal."

"All right," he agreed, then looked to Lothar worriedly. Maybe it was the drugs in his system, but part of him was still surprised that Medivh would speak so openly of this in front of Anduin, and at first he didn't know what to say. "You know what I am," he said at length. Lothar nodded.

"I'll just leave you two alone for a bit, I'm sure you have a lot to talk about," the older man said. "I'm going to visit the head of neurology…get a bite to eat." He winked. "I'll be back in an hour or so, with more coffee and some liquor from her private stash."

Lothar shook his head. "You are incorrigible."

"And you wouldn't have me any other way," he replied, and disappeared through the door with a definite spring in his step.

The detective chuckled. "Why am I not surprised he managed to charm not just one person into sharing their blood with him, but three?"

"Most of us prefer to share with just one person," Khadgar mumbled hastily. As always, he was somewhat scandalized at the thought of doing something so intimate with multiple people. But Medivh was Medivh. "I can't believe he told you he does that. I couldn't believe it when he told me." He was still in wonder that Anduin knew what both he and Medivh were, and hadn't run screaming from the room.

"He told me a lot of things, Khadgar," Lothar replied gently. "About your people, and what it's like when they take blood, and what it means to be compatible with you. Everything."

Khadgar's eyes widened slightly. "And are you…ok with that?" he asked, almost wincing at the stammer in his voice.

"The feeding, or the sex? Because I'm ok with both. Now that I know the true source of the dreams I've been having, I am surprisingly and wonderfully ok with it," he said warmly. "Because now I know my feelings are reciprocated."

"Really?' He broke into a wide smile. "I mean, this must be so weird for you. It was weird for me too, at first, but especially for you because I know you were married, you even have a son…"

"Khadgar – Medivh explained everything I needed to know. I'm fine." He rested a hand over one of Khadgar's. "I'm not Alston. I don't know why he reacted the way he did when he found out the truth about his wife, but I want you to know that I could never be like him," he declared. "When Medivh said earlier that he would never hurt me, and neither would you…I need you to believe the same about me. That I could never hurt either of you." Lothar squeezed his hand. "Especially you."

"I'm sorry I never told you," Khadgar said softly. "I wanted to. But I was too much of a coward."

"It's all right, Khadgar. I'm just glad that now I know…because the next time you need me, I want to be awake for it. Fully awake. I want to remember everything about it, and about what comes afterwards."

"Tonight?" he asked, almost shyly. "Assuming they let me out of here by then?"

"I don't know if you'll be up and around by then, but this is a private room. Courtesy of Medivh." He ran his thumb over the palm of Khadgar's hand. "So here shouldn't be a problem."

"Anduin," he protested, scandalized yet again. "What if someone walks in on us?"

Lothar grinned. "Just make them forget," he said. "As long as you don't do the same to me."

Khadgar nodded, but he had to make certain his friend knew exactly what he was getting into. "And you're absolutely sure you're ok with this?" he asked again. "Because Alston said a lot of things, things I'd been thinking about too." He looked away. "What I did to you, I did without your consent. I took away your ability to consent. I grew up knowing what I was always going to become, and I prayed I would find someone who would accept me for what I was. I didn't want to be how Alston saw us – a monster taking whatever it wanted without permission – but in the end, that's exactly what I was."

"You didn't take what you wanted, Khadgar, you took what you needed to stay alive. Something I would have freely offered if I'd known the truth. And now that I do know, I want to keep sharing with you. My blood, and my body."

"Alston called it rape," Khadgar whispered in shame. Here, in the cold light of day, he couldn't think of any other way to describe it.

Lothar's hands came to rest on the younger man's shoulders again. "Khadgar. As Medivh so colorfully pointed out to me, since I haven't been waking up with a sore ass every morning, you obviously weren't doing what Alston thought you were. Of course I wish you would have told me before now, but after seeing what Alston did? No wonder your people are cautious. Given the string of murders and how the victims were found, I can't blame you for not wanting to tell me until you were sure it would be safe."

"I may not have done…what he thought," said Khadgar, "but I did touch you without your permission. After taking the blood, I mean. I should have just left. You should hate me, or at least think I'm some kind of pervert or something."

"Don't say that. Because my only objection to any of it is that I was never able to reciprocate – believe me, I wanted to, especially after I started remembering bits of what happened. Thank you for 'taking care of me' all those times." Lothar arched an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turning up. "Medivh said that among your people, it's considered good manners."

Khadgar's cheeks turned faintly pink at that. Only Medivh would call giving a blow job to someone in a trance state 'good manners'.

"And if you really were a pervert or a rapist, you never would have left immediately afterwards," he continued. "Medivh told me the sex part affects both people after the feeding is done, but each and every time, you left. You could have done anything you wanted with me and I never would have known."

"How do you know I didn't?" Khadgar asked.

"Because in my dreams I wanted to reach out to you, touch you the way you'd touched me. But I never could," said Lothar softly. "Until now."

"Anduin…" Khadgar began, but any other words he might have said were stolen away at the first touch of Lothar's lips to his.


	15. Chapter 15: Amans

Khadgar's eyes drifted shut and he leaned into Lothar's embrace, eagerly returning the kiss. This is what he'd wanted, dreamed of for months – his beloved Anduin no longer frozen and unresponsive, but an active participant in what they would share. His hands came up of their own volition, pulling himself closer to the other man.

"What should I do?" Lothar asked, when they finally broke apart. "How do you need me for this? Or is it too soon – Medivh told me your people only need blood a couple times a week, and I know you fed last night."

"It's not too soon," Khadgar assured him. "I like taking it daily, anyway."

"Medivh said that too."

He raised an eyebrow, wondering just how much his mentor had shared with Anduin while he'd been asleep. "What else did he say?"

Lothar smiled, one hand caressing Khadgar's cheek soothingly. "He stressed the intimacy of the act to me," he said. "That our bodies would be very close, and your lips would be on my neck, and that it wouldn't hurt…it would feel like a kiss."

Khadgar shivered, leaning into Lothar's touch. "You're sure you want to do this here and now?" he asked, surprised at how daring Lothar could be, even more surprised than he'd been at Lothar's acceptance.

"Medivh won't be back for a while, we have time," he replied, his expression turning sly. "I've been waiting for this for ages, I don't want to wait any longer."

The younger man turned his head to press a kiss to Lothar's palm. "This will be easier if you take off your shirt."

"Only if you take off that hideous hospital gown first," he chuckled, running his free hand underneath it. Lothar's hand on his bare skin spurred him to shed the offending garment in seconds; and he watched, eyes wide, and the other man removed his shirt.

Lothar moved in for another kiss, and another, and another, until Khadgar felt like his head was swimming. Being with Anduin was more intoxicating than any drink or drug he'd ever tried.

"Khadgar," he whispered, pulling back so he could look into the other man's eyes. "Show me."

The younger man understood what Lothar was asking, and while a part of him still feared rejection, he knew that Anduin deserved to see his true self. /He deserves to see it from me too,/ he thought, Medivh's words from earlier echoing in his mind. So he took a deep breath, and finally let his teeth and eyes shift in front of Lothar.

"Beautiful," Lothar breathed, as he took in Khadgar's altered features.

"Really?" Khadgar asked, overjoyed at the love and affection he could sense from his partner in his eyes, his voice, his scent.

"Yes." Lothar kissed him again, his tongue parting Khadgar's lips so he could explore the younger man's mouth, mindful of the sharp teeth he now possessed.

Khadgar moaned. He was surrounded by warmth, wrapped in Lothar's arms, and it was impossible to resist the call any longer. His lips moved from Anduin's to his jawline, and then down to the side of his neck. Instinct and not-quite-human senses told him where to stop; and he licked and nuzzled the area, letting whatever magic or pheromones his people utilized do their work, so the bite would bring pleasure and not pain.

And then, with one final kiss to Lothar's neck, he gently bit down.


	16. Chapter 16: Salvus

Lothar gasped at the sensation, but it wasn't from pain. True to Medivh's words, it felt like he was being kissed…and he was, as Khadgar sucked gently at his neck while he fed. Medivh had taught the younger man both how to take blood as well as what having it drawn would feel like, he'd said, once Khadgar had come of age. The blood of a fellow vampire did nothing to sate their hunger, but it was a good lesson in that it taught Khadgar human blood could be taken without pain.

Lothar felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the thought of Medivh doing this with the man currently in his arms. Now that he knew the truth, he hoped Khadgar would never share this with anyone else. He pulled Khadgar closer, letting his hands come up to caress the warm skin of the vampire's back, letting his arousal grow. He'd never been with another man before, but in the few months since he'd recognized his attraction to Khadgar he'd been visiting certain websites – strictly for research, of course – and he had a fair idea of what two men could do together. He wondered if Khadgar had ever had a male lover before. Again, he felt a stab of jealousy, but he pushed it aside at the sudden intensification of his arousal.

Khadgar's mouth had gone from gentle suction to nibbling and licking, and Lothar realized the vampire's need for blood must be close to sated. Khadgar's cock had hardened noticeably just before he'd gone from sucking to nuzzling, as had his own; and he knew that once the feeding episode drew to a close, both participants would experience a literal jumpstart to their sexual desire.

"Anduin," Khadgar murmured, after a few final licks to Lothar's neck. He leaned back, his half-lidded eyes gazing into Lothar's. They were still blazing blue, and his expression was one of bliss.

"Lie back down," he replied, kissing the other man deeply. There was a faint metallic taste to his mouth now, a trace of the blood he'd just taken. "You shouldn't be doing anything too strenuous. Let me do all the work."

Khadgar still regarded him with that same blissful expression, and let himself be guided back down to the bed. Lothar quickly stripped off the rest of his clothing – he was certain he'd never been this hard in his entire life – and then settled himself between Khadgar's legs. He'd never done this before, but he knew what he liked himself, and he used this as a guideline for what to do now.

"Khadgar. My Khadgar," he said, before taking the other man in his mouth.


	17. Chapter 17: Amator

Khadgar moaned at the feeling of Anduin's mouth surrounding him, and he fought to keep his hips from bucking up. Even in his post-feeding euphoria, he was aware enough to not want to do anything that might make Anduin uncomfortable, or that he might not be ready for.

"Anduin, that feels wonderful," he finally said, as his features returned to their normal appearance.

"Good, because that's exactly how I want you to feel," Lothar replied, encircling the base of the younger man's cock with his fingers. He pumped it a few times, and then ran his tongue over the head before engulfing it further.

This time Khadgar couldn't keep himself still. "I'm not going to last long if you keep doing that," he warned. He didn't think Anduin had ever done this before, but what he lacked in experience he more than made up for in enthusiasm. It made Khadgar love him even more.

"That must mean I'm doing something right," Lothar said with a sly smile, and went back to drawing his tongue up and down Khadgar's length.

Khadgar shivered at the exquisite sensations until they threatened to overwhelm him. "Anduin, come up here," he urged, tugging at the other man's shoulder. "This isn't fair; I want to touch you too."

Lothar raised himself to his elbows, and Khadgar practically dragged him up so he could press their lips together; and he began to grind against his lover, building the friction between them. Anduin was returning the kiss avidly, but Khadgar could tell he was holding back. He wasn't sure if the older man was being careful, trying to avoid his injuries, or if Anduin was just unsure of himself. But Khadgar was the more experienced of the pair, and Lothar was being far too hesitant for his tastes.

"Anduin, I'm not going to break," he admonished. He punctuated his words by sliding his cock against his lover's, and then wrapped a hand around both of them and began to thrust in earnest.

"Like you said…if you keep doing that, I'm not going to last long either," gasped Lothar. His hands were roaming all over the younger man, his cock pressed against his partner's and firmly encircled by Khadgar's grasp. Khadgar could hear Anduin's breath catch in his throat. "Khadgar…I don't want you to ever be afraid of anything again. Not the hunters, and especially not of yourself."

"I'm not afraid of myself," he declared, still rocking his hips in time with his lover's.

"Even so…" The man seemed to be struggling to speak coherently as they moved together. "I want you to be safe. I want to know if you're in danger or not. So if it's not too early in all this, I would be honored if you'd attune me."

Khadgar's movements slowed. "Are you sure?" he asked, gazing into his lover's eyes. "I know you understand what this means, and how intimate it is. I know Medivh told you. Are you certain?"

"More certain than anything I've ever been in my life," stated the older man. "Unless you're not interested, I mean. I'm Medivh's age, after all."

The younger man smiled joyfully. "Anduin, I would like nothing more than to attune you. I…I love you. But then you've probably figured that out by now."

"It's what I'd hoped," Anduin confessed, kissing him again as their rhythm picked up once more. "But hearing you say it only makes it better." He reached down and wrapped a hand around Khadgar's, holding it as he stroked them both.

Khadgar's breath was coming in harsh pants now. "Do you want me to do it now?"

Lothar nodded. "Attune me."

Khadgar felt a sudden stinging in his eyes as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him, but he nodded in reply and let his features change again. He brought his free wrist to his mouth and let his lips and tongue move over the skin. After a few moments he let his teeth pierce his own flesh, and when his blood was flowing freely, he offered himself to Anduin.

"Drink," he said softly.

"I love you, Khadgar," he said, pressing his mouth to the wound to draw the vampire's blood into his own body.

The sight, feel, and above all the sound of Anduin suckling gently at his wrist were all it took to push Khadgar over the edge. He cried out ecstatically, hips jerking against Anduin's, and then all at once his partner was climaxing as well. Khadgar fell back against the pillows, letting the waves of pleasure wash over them both, until they finally came to rest in each other's arms.

Khadgar drew his wrist back, running his tongue over the wound to heal it, and then let his hand rest on Anduin's shoulder contentedly while his eyes and teeth shifted back to their human form.

"How long does it take?" Lothar asked, licking the last of the blood from his lips in a way Khadgar found extremely erotic.

"A couple days," he replied, fighting back a yawn.

"Khadgar, you should rest now. You're still recovering…Medivh will have my hide if he thinks I had you doing anything too strenuous," he said fondly.

"But I wanted to," said Khadgar, yawning again.

"You just lie back and sleep; don't worry, I'll get you all cleaned up so nobody knows what we were doing in here," Anduin chuckled.

Khadgar wanted to point out that Medivh would know, of course he would know, but he was just too sleepy to form the words. So he simply closed his eyes and nodded. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.


	18. Chapter 18: Finis

Just as Khadgar assumed, Medivh had known exactly what the two of them had been up to while he was gone (Medivh himself had been up to the very same thing with the hospital's chief of neurology). He'd congratulated them both, especially once he realized that his protégé had taken steps to attune Lothar. "Welcome to the family," he'd said, clasping his friend's shoulder. "You're part of our community now." The next day Khadgar was released from the hospital, and Anduin had helped him get settled back into his apartment…Medivh had graciously 'convinced' the department to let the detective take his vacation now, while Khadgar was on medical leave. Khadgar had blushed deeply when Medivh explained to the head of Human Resources that Lothar had just been attuned by a vampire, and that he and Khadgar were in their honeymoon stage now so of *course* they both needed time off together. "Oh, it's not like he's going to remember what I said," Medivh had laughed, before letting his eyes and teeth return to normal. True to Medivh's words, the tranced man remembered nothing.

And now, several days later, Anduin Lothar had to admit that it did feel like a honeymoon. The loss of his wife so many years ago had been devastating, and he'd truly believed he would never love again, or even be able to love again. Khadgar had changed all that. He would always miss Cally, but Khadgar had brought joy back into his life; and he felt his arms tighten around the other man possessively, wanting to hold him even closer.

"This is so nice," Khadgar sighed, leaning back against Anduin's chest. Khadgar had fed and they'd made love afterwards – Lothar had been shocked that the attunement now let him feel almost ghostly echoes of the sensations his lover felt during sex – but then, Medivh did say that being attuned would enhance intimacy. He just hadn't explained how.

"It really is," Anduin replied, kissing the side of Khadgar's neck, content to hold him like this for the rest of the night.

"I only wish I'd been brave enough to tell you on my own," Khadgar said sadly. This was still bothering him, and it was even more obvious to Lothar now due to their attunement.

"I don't want you to feel bad about that anymore. We're together, and that's what's important," Lothar declared. Then he grinned. "You have plenty of things to be happy about now. We can do this whenever we like," here he swept his hand down Khadgar's body to his groin, "Plus you just got a big raise and an award for bravery from the precinct, plus you'll never have to fly back to your apartment with a bird-boner again."

Khadgar rolled his eyes and laughed. "Anduin, that's not anatomically…birds don't…" he began, but the inevitable lecture on avian anatomy was forestalled by a familiar face on the TV screen. "Oh look, they're re-running that interview with Medivh again," said Khadgar, reaching for the remote and turning up the sound. The story had been all over the local and even the national news, the lurid tale of the 'vampire murders' and the final showdown with the killer had made headlines all around the country.

So, given the wide exposure of the story, it was not surprising that less friendly eyes were also watching. But then, they'd been watching since the first blooddrained body had been found, even though the murders had taken place halfway across the nation.

"This one," a gravelly voice proclaimed, tapping the screen. "The one called Medivh. He will be your next target."

"Are you certain he's a vampire?"

"Quite certain," the chief hunter replied. "This is one of their leaders. In fact, I believe him to be the one known as the Guardian, a most powerful creature, much more dangerous than the monsters you've dispatched in the past."

A terse nod. "We'll begin gathering information on him, and when the time is right, I will strike."

"Excellent."

She bowed her head to him. "Thank you, Gul'dan. I will not disappoint you."

There was an ugly gleam in his eyes at her words. "See that you don't, Garona."


End file.
